Trials of Fire
Trials of Fire is by KachiUkaia. Please note that I was reading the Inheritance Cycle before I came up with this idea. The idea of being bound together by minds is taken from the Inheritance Cycle. Anything else that resembles the series is also credited to the author's original idea. And this IS still based off of Warrior Clans. There'll probably be a good deal of fighting. Just be warned. Elemental Fantasy: Allegiances and Guardians List of Leaders and Guardians Nightstar, leader of FireClan, is supported by the red phoenix Fireflash. Amberstar, leader of WaterClan, is supported by the ice griffin Yka. Palestar, leader of AirClan, is supported by the night dragon Shade. Havenstar, leader of EarthClan, is supported by the daylight pegasus Kuru-n'an. There is no leader of the Clan of the Elements, the warrior ancestors; they are supported by no Guardian. Prologue: The End Will Come Tears streamed down Nightflash's face as she watched her leader and Guardian, Lightstar and Glymr, struggle for breath on the ground before her. The cat and unicorn, bound together, were both dying as a result of Lightstar's fatal wound. Lightstar lifted his golden head and looked into his deputy's eyes. "Don't... mourn," he choked out around the blood streaming from his throat. "Lead our Clan... well, and find... another... Guardian..." The leader broke off and coughed, drops of blood flying from his throat. He rested his head on the ground again, clearly exhausted. Nightflash leaned down to be on the same level as them. "I promise I will," she sobbed. "Whoever the new Guardian is, I promise I'll choose well." Lightstar's face seemed to take on a peaceful look as his eyes closed. Beside him, Glymr shakily placed his head on Lightstar's back, and his life ended as well. Nightflash sat down, not even attempting to hide her grief. Lightstar had led FireClan for many long moons, through the good and the bad. Many of the elders could still remember what he had been like as a young apprentice. Nightflash had been born in the middle of Lightstar's reign, and now it was up to her to take the great leader's place. The grass rustled, and Nightflash felt a tail on her shoulder. She looked up and, through her tears, saw her sister standing beside her in the grass. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ebonydream silently shook her head. The two sisters sat watching the stars in the twilight sky. The rising sun found them sound asleep, leaning against each other as the world itself seemed to mourn for the lost life. ^. .^ Far away from Clan territory, four uniquely colored she-cats sat in a line gazing up at the stars. Each had white or silver somewhere in her pelt. A cat on one end of the line stood and padded in front of the other three. The ginger spots on her back seemed to shimmer unnaturally in the moonlight. "Sisters, the moon has risen to its highest point," she announced. One of the other cats flicked her ginger-banded tail. "We know, Dawnshadow," she said in a quiet but irritable voice. "Has it shown you something?" Dawnshadow closed her dark blue eyes. "Everflight, the signs of the moon are not to be taken lightly." Opening her eyes and glancing briefly at a long-furred cat with glittering eyes, she continued. "Yes, the shadows on the moon have shown me a cat coming here." "Coming here?" the long-furred cat echoed. "Why?" The cat sitting next to her glared at her with flaming orange eyes, but said nothing. Everflight stood and padded to Dawnshadow's side. "Isn't it clear? A Guardian has died." She looked at Dawnshadow with vivid amber eyes. "The Guardians aren't ready for a Choosing. Are you sure this cat is not coming far in the future?" Dawnshadow shook her head, clearly frustrated. "No! The cat will come within the next two moons, whether the Guardians are ready or not." The flaming-eyed cat finally spoke, her voice seeming to resonate with wisdom. "The flames of the dying sun have shown me the same thing. I have also seen trouble with the Guardians. They will not take this cat's arrival well." The long-furred cat wailed. "Horizonfire, are you sure? The last thing the Guardians need is trouble with a Clan cat, when they've already--" "Hush, Aurorastreak!" Dawnshadow snapped. "This is going to happen. It cannot be prevented. We'll just have to find a way to send the cat back to whatever Clan it comes from." "But then that Clan will be without a Guardian!" "Too bad." Dawnshadow's dark eyes blazed. "The end of the Clans is coming anyway. We all know it. Maybe the loss of a Guardian will speed things up a bit, make our lives that much easier. When the Clans are destroyed, maybe we can finally rest." Everflight's eyes widened. "That makes sense! If we help destroy the Clans, we'll finally be free of this fate!" "Yes," Horizonfire agreed. "We must send the cat away, no matter what the cost." Aurorastreak dipped her head, but when she spoke her voice wobbled. "If this is what we must do to be free, then I will help." Horizonfire started padding away, but she called over her shoulder, "The end will come! It will all be over soon!" "The end will come," Aurorastreak echoed in a whisper. "The end will come." Chapter One: Find Us a Moon from Tomorrow I wake up in the Cavern of the Elements and stretch. I'm waking up from getting my nine lives and star name. Reality washes over me and I remember Lightstar's dying words. I don't want to dishonor the great leader, but I shake away my thoughts. It was Lightstar's last wish for me to stop mourning. I remind myself that I can't dishonor him by doing what he wanted and pad in the general direction of the entrance. I gaze up at the twilight sky. I search the sky for Lightstar, but only linger for a moment. I have to return to my Clan as soon as possible. I feel like a shadow as I stalk quietly through the long grass beyond EarthClan territory. Havenstar of EarthClan has a good reputation for being kind to cats, but I still feel uncomfortable as I look down on their territory from these grassy hills. Not for the first time, I wonder why EarthClan chooses to live in such a barren territory. They rely on the herbs that grow on the Clan borders. For a moment I think about what would happen if FireClan- ''my ''Clan, I tell myself- or AirClan decided to extend their territory. If Havenstar were to agree, she would be giving up a crucial life source for her Clan. Disgusted with myself for thinking this way, I continue on until I reach the borders of EarthClan territory. Veering to the right, I head in the direction of FireClan territory, where I will have one day to rest before heading out to find our new Guardian. As I find my way back into the FireClan camp, I feel uncomfortable. A sea of pelts comes up to greet me, calling my name and congratulating me. I mutter my thanks and slowly work my way toward Lightstar's den- no, my new den. I slip inside, calling one last 'thanks' over my shoulder and collapse in the nest. It still smells like Lightstar. More memories flood over me as I bury my nose in the scent- of my apprentice and warrior ceremonies, of the time on a patrol with him that I sniffed out a badger, of my deputy ceremony... I lift my head and poke my muzzle through the lichen and breathe in the night air. I sigh, turn around, and lay down in the den. Eventually I fall asleep. I wake up to the clamor of Clan life. It takes me a second to remember where I am, and briefly I wonder where everyone is. Then I remember, stretch, and stand up to go out into camp. As I walk out of my den, cats turn their heads towards me and an awkward silence falls over my head. I dip my head uncomfortably. As if prompted, they all start cheering and calling my name, just like last night. I try my best to smile. I remember how Lightstar was always so good at greeting the Clan and feel insignificant in comparison. Ebonydream steps through the crowd and to my side. In a slightly lower voice than normal, she says to me, "Don't forget to appoint a deputy." I flick my ear in acknowledgement. I glance at the cliff where Lightstar always made his announcements, then jump up the ledges to the top without thinking about it. I step forward, about to address the Clan, when the words stick in my throat. Every cat is staring at me. "U-um," I say, feeling embarrased. Then I see Ebonydream looking up at me, gaze unwavering. I feel a wave of gratitude and, as though her gaze gives me strength, project my voice across the camp. "As you know, Lightstar died last night." Murmurs ring throughout the camp and I hear one cat say, "StarClan bless him." I glance quickly at every cat and continue. "We will have our vigil for Lightstar tonight, as there wasn't time last night due to the repairs necessary to our camp boundaries." Regret washes over me; I wonder if Lightstar is angry about the delayed vigil. I shake off the thoughts and go on. "My first duty as a leader, after recieving my lives and name, is to appoint a deputy." Cats break off into excited talking. I wave my tail to resume command and, for some reason, it comes as a surprise when they all stop talking. Feeling slightly awkward again, I let my gaze roam the camp. I now realize I should have thought about my decision before. I consider the cats who would be most likely to make a good deputy. ''Finchclaw? ''I admire the brown tom's courage, but then I recall how indecisive he can be. ''Liontuft? ''The ginger she-cat is sitting quietly on the edges of the other cats. She holds respect among the Clan, and can be very brave, but also compassionate and thoughtful. I nod my head decisively and jump down into the clearing. "I say these words before the spirit of Lightstar, that he may hear and approve my words," I say, and pause for a moment. "Liontuft will be the new deputy of FireClan." Cats swarm around the she-cat to congratulate her. Liontuft looks happy but surprised, which makes me surer than ever that this is the right decision. I wait until the cats break apart a little bit and jump back up the cliff. "My next job as your leader is to find a new Guardian for our Clan. Come sunhigh, I will go to the Guardian-grounds and bond with our new Guardian." The Clan murmurs with one sense of approval, so I wave my tail to dismiss the Clan and push my way back into the leader's den. My dreams are confusing, and I'm not sure what's going on. I see blurry images all around me, flashing by like the wispiest clouds riding on the fastest wind. Whispering voices merge into one indecipherable sound. Finally one voice dominates the rest. I recognize it as Lightstar's. "The Guardians," Lightstar's voice says, reverberating around in my head with a rasp to it I know wasn't there in his life. Others echo the words in an eerie whisper. "The Guardians..." His voice suddenly booms. "They are not prepared! You will not leave!" I wake up in my nest with horror. Lightstar's voice is still booming around my head. I sit for a heartbeat, collecting my thoughts, and then pad back out into the Clan. I jump down from the den and hurry over to the medicine cat's den, where my sister is sorting herbs. "Ebonydream," I say quietly. She turns to me, pushing one last leaf into a pile. "What is it, Nightstar?" It takes me half a second to remember that I am no longer Nightflash. "I'm having second guesses about going to find a Guardian," I confess, and quickly summarize my dream. When I finish, she is looking at me in an odd way. "What?" I say, nervous. "It is the custom to seek a Guardian before nightfall the second day after the leader ceremony," she reminds me. "I understand your doubts about the dream, but I really do think that you need to go and find us a Guardian. What will the others in the Clan think if you break custom?" I shake my head sadly. "You're right," I tell her. "I'll go find a Guardian. I just hope this is the right decision. You will find us a moon from tomorrow, then, if all goes well." She nods. "If all goes well," she echoes. "May you travel safely, Nightstar. May the Clan of the Elements be with you." ^. .^ I look back at FireClan territory one more time. "I have to find a Guardian, for their sake," I tell myself. I'm still struggling with my dream of Lightstar and his warning. I'm not sure if I want to do this, but I also don't want to make my deputy look like a fool by not taking her advice. I make my way across the outskirts of Clan territory, walking as close as I dare to the borders without straying into AirClan territory. The Guardians live in the land far beyond the borders of AirClan and WaterClan. I have exactly one moon to get there, bond with a new Guardian for my Clan, and return home. Finally I reach the AirClan border The Unclaimed Territory stretches out in front of me. I feel so overwhelmed by the expanse of wide open land, uninhabited by any Clan. ''How do the border patrols for these two Clans stand seeing this every day? ''I wonder. I take my first pawstep out into the Unclaimed Territory, knowing that from now on, nothing will ever be the same.